Apparatus for cleaning dies or forms.



No. 7|6,459. Patented Dec. 23, |902. S. MUELLER.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING [HES 0R FORMS.

(Application led Apr. 7, 1902.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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Patented nec; 23, |902. s. MUELLER. APPARATUS FOR CLEANING DIES 0RFORMS.

(Application filed Apr. 7, 1902.)

2 sheets-sheet* 2.

(No Model.)

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SAMUEL MUELLER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING DIES OR FORMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,459, dated December23, 1902.

Application filed April 7. 1902` Serial No. 101,633. (No model.)

T0 all whom, if nto/y concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL MUELLER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Cleaning Dies or Forms, of which the following is aspecication.

My invention has reference to improvements in apparatus for cleaningdies or forms such as are used in the manufacture of spaghetti,macaroni, and like preparations of cereal foods which are made, formed,or cut into a particular shape or configuration for the market.

In the manufacture of macaroni, spaghetti, and the like dies or formsmade of copper or composition thereof or of steel and provided withtransverse openings or perforations are used, the dough being forcedthrough said openings in the die or form by pressure. When hollowrsubstances, such as macaroni, are to be produced, cores are placed inthe openings or perforations for the purpose of producing such tubularsubstances. It will be readily understood that when the works are shutdown for the night the openings or perforations remain lled with thedough and must be cleaned before the die or form can be used again.IIeretofore the dies used in the formation of `these substances havebeen soaked in water and cleaned by hand, which operation naturallyrequired a long time and incurred considerable expense. Vith the use ofmy present apparatus the dies or forms can be cleaned very rapidly andwith greatly-reduced expense, and at the same time the number of diesnecessary is reduced to a minimum in view of the rapidity with which thedies can be cleansed, and there is no waste of material, as heretofore,while the dies or forms are always clean and pure.

With the above objects in view my invention consists, essentially, in areceiving-chamber, a die or form holder mounted to rotate, means forrotating said die or form holder, a cleansing-nozzle mounted to moveparallel to the plane of the die or form holder, means for supplyingwater or other cleansing liquid under pressure to said nozzle, and meansforimparting movement to said cleansing-nozzle.

The nature of my invention will be understood best when described inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 representsa side elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus embodying myinventiou. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a planview of part of the intermittent feeding and reversing mechanism.

Similar letters and numerals of reference designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A designates a die or form such asis commonly used in the manufacture of macaroni, the same being providedwith concentric series of transverse openings or perfor-ations l. Theopenings are tapered, and into the same are inserted cores 2, connectedin pairs in a usual manner, so that the product formed by such dies orforms is a tubular body. The construction of'these dies or forms is oldand well known and constitutes no part of my present invention. For thepurpose of removing the adhering dough which fills the openings orperforations at the time of the removal of the die or form from thehydraulic press I provide the following means:

B is a receiving vessel supported in asuitable manner, which said vesselis closed at its bottom and preferably provided at its top with aremovable cover 3. Within said vessel and at some distance above itsbottom is mounted a die or form holder C, which may be of any suitableconstruction, for the purpose of holding the dies or forms A, and hasimparted thereto a slow rotary motion by the following means: The die orform holder C is mounted upon a vertical spindle D, which extendsupwardly through the bottom of the receiving vessel B within a sleeveB', so as to prevent escape of water or other fluid used on the die.Rotary movement is imparted to said spindle D from a shaft E byintermediate gear-wheels 4 and 5, said shaft E being driven by a pulleyF and belt in a usual manner.

Above the die or form holder C is arranged a nozzle G, adapted to directvertically downe ward a jet of water or other cleansing fluid in thedirection of the die or form holder. This nozzle G is connected, bymeans of pipes 6, 7, and 8, with a supply of fluid under pres sure. Theiuid under pressure maybe supplied by a pump of a usual construction(not shown) or, where the ordinary water-supply has sul'icient pressure,directly from such supply. To this nozzle G there is imparted anintermittent movement parallel to the plane of the die or form holder,the movement being so regulated that the nozzle G is held for adetermined period of time directly above one of the concentric lines ofopenings or perforations 1, so as to direct the jet or stream ofcleaning i'luid directly in line with one series of perforations at atime, it being understood that the die or form holder C is slowlyrotating, and then the nozzle is shifted to come in liue with the nextseries of openings or perforations, and so on, until the complete seriesof openings or perforations have been covered, as indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 1, whereupon the nozzle is returned in a stepby-stcpmovement to the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1. The means ormechanism for accomplishing this movement of the nozzle may be of anyusual construction, and I do not wish to restrict myself to anyparticular means or mechanism for effecting this purpose. In the presentexample I have shown the horizontal pipe 6 connected by the pendentpipe'7 with a swivel-joint 9 to the supplypipe 8, so as to permitlongitudinal movement of said pipe 6. To the pipe 6 is connected a rack10, which is engaged by a gearwheel 11, adapted to be turned in onedirection or the other by means of a double pawl 12, attached to acarrier 13, pivoted to swing about the arbor of the gear-wheel 11. Onthe spindle D is mounted an eccentric 15, whose rod 16 engages with thelower end of a lever 17, pivoted at 18 to a suitable frame or standard19 and having its upper end ar, ranged to engage with the pawl-carrierto turn the gear-wheel 11, so as to feed the pipe 6, and consequentlythe nozzle G, in one direction or the other, according to the positionof the pawl 12, during the revolution of the shaft D and that of the dieor form holder C. The lug 20, which supports the rack 10, is providedwith a tappet 2l, projecting down- Wardly in the path of two stops 23and 24,10- cated on a horizontal rod 22, whose innerend is bifurcatedand engages With the pawl. It

will be readily understood that when the rack 10 is moved from theposition shown in full lines in Fig. 1 by means of the gear 11 and themechanism described to the position shown by dotted lignes in the samefigure the stop 24 is engaged by the tappet 21 to move the rod 22, so asto turn over the pawl-carrier 13 about its pivot, whereby the movementsof the gear-wheel and that of the pipe 6 are reversed. When the rack 10returns from the position shown by dotted lines to that shown by fulllines, the tappet 21 engages the stop 23 and another reversal takesplace. The pawl-carrier 13 is subjected to the action of two springs 2525 to hold the same in one position or the other. It is of course to beunderstood that any other suitable reversing mechanism may be employed.

It will be readily understood that by properly proportioning theeccentric 15 and the intermediate mechanism for the nozzle G the saidnozzle is advanced from one concentric row of openings or perforationsto another at each revolution of the shaft D. According to constructionof the eccentric or cam this movement may be intermittent or continnous.

A suitable outlet-pipe O is provided for drawing off the liquid in thereceiving vessel B.

What I claim as new is- 1. An apparatus for cleaning dies or formshaving transverse openings or perforations, comprising a die or formholder mounted to rotate, means for rotating said die or form holder, acleansing-nozzle mounted to move parallel to the plane of the die orform holder, means for supplying a cleansing fluid under pressure tosaid nozzle, and means for imparting movement to said cleansing-nozzle,substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for cleaning dies or forms having transverse openings orperforations comprising a die or form holder mounted to rotate, meansfor rotating said die or form holder, a cleansing-nozzle mounted to moveparallel to the plane of the die or form holder, means for supplying acleansing fluid under pressure to said nozzle, and means forimparting'intermittent movement to said cleansing-nozzle, substantiallyas described.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL MUELLER.

Witnesses:

A. FABER DU FAUR, .I r., BAENA H. YUDIZKY.

IOO

